Today, the EFTA Surveillance Authority has approved an amendment to the Norwegian Special Tax System for Shipping. Under this scheme, shipping income is exempted from ordinary corporate tax and only a tonnage tax related to the vessel's tonnage is due.

The approved amendment concerns income that shipping companies may generate as a result of their joint and several liability for employer obligations under Norwegian law. Without the amendment, such income would fall under the general corporate taxation rules.

The joint and several liability for employer obligations means that shipping companies can be held responsible for certain minimum rights of the shipping employees, such as health protection and medical care. The shipping companies' obligation follows from the ILO Maritime Labour Convention 2006, which was implemented into Norwegian law by the Shipping Employment Act in August 2013.

The Authority has taken the view that the notified amendment is in line with the state aid provisions of the EEA agreement.

A non-confidential version of the decision will be published in the register of state aid decisions on the Authority's website, normally within a month.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Andreas Kjeldsberg Pihl
Press & Information Officer
Tel. (+32)(0)2 286 18 66
Mob. (+32)(0)492 900 187